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Page 34
Alinor turned her head so that she faced the flames. "He has no man to look up to," she said. "He has had no one but Beorn for more than a year. Simon tried, but he was too sick. Adam is still too young to send for fostering. I cannot send him to William and Lady Isobel. The king is so bitter against William. I suppose I must get a tutor for him, but who, Ian? I cannot take a young man in. Do you know of a married man, perhaps with children, who would do fealty and be loyal to me?"
Surreptitiously, Alinor raised a hand and wiped tears from her cheeks. Ian clenched his fists, and then carefully and deliberately opened his hands. Had Alinor turned to look at him, she would have seen he was unnaturally flushed. It was all she could do, however, to keep from wailing aloud. There were far worse troubles than Adam's burdening her, but it was not fair to worry Ian when it was plain he had problems of his own and could not help. If Ian could suggest some man to tutor Adam, Alinor felt that even so small a lessening of her burden would be like a foretaste of heaven.
"Set aside Adam's needs for the moment," Ian said. His voice was very harsh.
Alinor bit her lips together. She had no claim on Ian. She had no claim on any man living, except her vassals, and the best of those, the men most closely bound to her in love and loyalty, were dead. Their sons had obeyed Simon gladly, but whether they would accept Alinor's rule docilely she did not know. In any case, it was not Ian's responsibility. She lifted her head defiantly.
"Of course. If you can help, I will be grateful. If not, there is no reason why you should trouble yourself. Let me get you some more wine, and tell me what brings you back to England, and"
"No reason why I should help! Do you know what Simon was to me?"
"I know you were his squire and he loved you dearly, but I have no claim"
"Simon made me a man. He never told you? No, I

 
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